CBS ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Premiere Boldly Delayed to May 2017

Star Trek fans have waited years for the franchise to return to TV, and will wait longer still, it seems. Despite CBS initially scheduling the new Discovery series for a January 2017 bow, the newest Star Trek saga has been pushed back to May over production demands.

According to word from CBS, executive producers Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, the mutual decision was made out of responsibility to fans, in order to deliver a more finished product:

Bringing Star Trek back to television carries a responsibility and mission: to connect fans and newcomers alike to the series that has fed our imaginations since childhood. We aim to dream big and deliver, and that means making sure the demands of physical and post-production for a show that takes place entirely in space, and the need to meet an air date, don’t result in compromised quality. Before heading into production, we evaluated these realities with our partners at CBS and they agreed: Star Trek deserves the very best, and these extra few months will help us achieve a vision we can all be proud of.

That said, it remains unclear if the four-month delay will impact any potential casting announcements, which Fuller previously suggested could arrive in October. The report also notes that CBS’ Christine Baranski-centric Good Wife spinoff has been moved up to February 2017.

Shooting in Toronto, the new 13-episode Star Trek: Discovery is officially said to take place 10 years before Kirk’s original Enterprise mission, as well to be “heavily serialized,” akin to a novel, more-so than an episodic nature. The new series will also feature a non-captain female lead, and explore the fallout of an event referenced, but never seen in the original series.

The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

Additional details will emerge within the next few months, including an updated ship design, but what should we make of Star Trek: Discovery already missing its first stardate?